our July fiber gathering

Last months fiber gathering was a lovely day spent in the shade of a few huge trees in Rachel’s front yard.   Elin’s granddaughter made good use of the trees for climbing.  It was fun to see Elin in grandma mode.

With the continued stress of rising Covid-19 numbers in Wisconsin this gathering was a needed respite from the daily news and for a brief time we didn’t need to think about what stupidity Trump was up to next.  A time away to reconnect with friends in the midst of too much isolation was  just what I needed and I will look forward to August’s gathering.  For not having any normalcy this summer, time is sure flying by.

It was fun to see the knitted dress finished by Anne Marie and Elin’s new woven wall hangings.   Janet’s scarf from the Bateman book turned out lovely, not reflected in my blurry picture. Anne Marie shared the cucumber bounty from her garden and  that was tasty proof that summer is in full bloom.

I have still been in jewelry making mode and showed off my dragonfly necklace which sold shortly after putting it up on Instagram.  I was kind of hoping to keep that one.  Sometimes the power of social media is surprising.  The silver dragonfly bead made by artist Anne Choi was a treasured purchase  a couple of years ago at the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee.  Sadly with 2 postponements they have decided to discontinue the show.  This was a get away that Nan and I looked forward to every year.  The classes were wonderful and of course the 1000+ vendors made for some fun purchases.  It is hard to fathom the number of businesses and livelihoods that will be affected for years to come as this pandemic brings much of our economy to its knees.

I just want to say the the joy of pounding metal into shape is very rewarding right now and just what I need to feel violently productive. Still, I hope that as this continues that everyone can find joy in the little things that we all need to stay sane right now.  And speaking of joy my daughter from Seattle came home for the summer.  After quarantining at her sisters in Madison for a couple of weeks, we spent a fun weekend with lots of laughter , campfires, comet watching and s’mores.  Sadly she needs good internet for her internship so she will be couch hopping at her sisters.

Rachel and Erinn spent some time in my studio learning ring making.  I am just learning myself but it was fun to see them pounding their rings into shape.  It is continuously a wonderment to interact with my daughters as adults.  They are all strong independent women and they lead the way in how they respond to this tumultuous world and they give me hope that they can bring about the change that we need in the  future.  Jessi returns to teaching in Racine this year with a decision, finally, to do virtual teaching for the beginning of the year.  Not ideal for  either students or their teachers. But as her mom I feel better knowing that her job is protecting her health along with her students and their families.

So stay safe and healthy and sane everyone.  Thanks Rachel for a fun day.

And Happy Birthday to my dear friend Nance in Seattle:)